Crocs prevail in Queensland derby

Townsville emerged 71-62 victor from its tight battle with the Gold Coast Blaze at The Swamp on Friday night.

Centre Luke Schenscher (20) and swingman Peter Crawford (14) excelled on their home court as the Crocodiles sent the Blaze crashing to their 11th loss of the year.

The home side rarely looked like dropping the game, although Gold Coast did outscore the Crocs in the second period and then took a slight lead in the third, before capitulating on the run home.

Blaze forward Ira Clark did the damage for the visitors, going 6-for-10 from the floor and grabbing six rebounds in his team's loss, while Stephen Hoare (10 rebounds) engaged in a battle under the glass with Townsville's Russell Hinder, who also had 10 boards.

In Friday night's other clash, Alex Loughton's 24-point hail helped Cairns steal a 97-86 win from the Hawks on the road.

Ian Crosswhite chipped in with 20 for the Taipans, who are now 11-6 for the season.

Victory narrowed the gap between Cairns and the defending champion Perth Wildcats in the race for second spot on the ladder.

The visitors led at quarter-time and at the long break, but the Hawks surged after the break and led by as much as 10 in the third period.

But the Taipans heated up and came home strong, outscoring Wollongong 36-21 in the final 10 minutes thanks to Loughton, who made key free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Cairns.

The Hawks were led by 16-point efforts to Tyson Demos (4-of-5 from the field, 8-of-9 from the line) and Tim Coenraad (6-of-11, 2-of-2 from downtown), while Oscar Forman added 11 points and six rebounds.

Moscow's words and actions — including the alleged poisoning of a former spy — are not the results of random aggression but rather fall into distinct patterns that can help us anticipate Russia's next moves under Vladimir Putin.